Tile-fettling machine



Sept. 10, 1929. Q W CLIFFORD 4 1,727,863

TILE FETTLING MACHINE Filed sept. 9, 19'24 s sheets-sheet l1y Sept. 10, 1929. C, W CLIFFORD 1,727,863

TILE vFEIWLLINGr MACHINE Filed Sept. 9, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 10, 1929. c. W. CLIFFORD TILE FETTLING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 9, 1 L9'24 Patented Sept. 10, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES W.y CLIFFORD, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY,

ASSIGNOR T ROBERTSON A RT TILE COMPANY, OF TREN TON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY.

TILE-FETTLING MACHINE.

Application filed September 9, 1.924. Serial No. 736,689.

The object of my invention is to provide a tile fettling machine that will bevel the edges of the tile uniformly notwithstanding variations in the shape of the tile. Another object of the invention is to provide such a machine that is adapted to operate on a fired tile.

It is well known that'if a tile, after molding, is allowed to retain its square edges, and

is subsequently fired and afterward glazed,tl 1e glazing material adjacent the edges will chip off and mar the appearance of the tile. It is therefore customary to fettle the tiles; that is, to bevel the edges so as to avoid sharp edges in the finished product and insure the maintenance of a continuous glazed surface.

A customary way of fettling is to take the tiles one by one before liring and by hand sand paper the edges. This process cannot produce uniform or satisfactory results except by the exercise of such great care and skill, and with such great expenditure of time as to render the process uneconomical. In fact, it is done hurriedly and more or less unskillfully and With'entirely unsatisfactory results.

Diiiiculty is experienced in performing the operation by mechanical means. It is a fact that great difficulty is experienced in making tiles of perfect form, that is, with opposing sides extending in two parallel flat planes. Indeed there is inevitable warping in the firing process and therefore it is customary to mold the green tiles with opposing faces somewhat curved to allow for the final warping in the firing process so as to secure with more or less approximation an ultimately perfectly shaped tile.

Therefore, the green tiles do not present perfectly straight edges and such automatic mechanism as has heretofore been devised bevels the edges unequally along different parts of their length and indeed may bevel an edge along -only part of its length or produce an objectionably deep or wide bevel along another part of its length. Such mechanism is especially apt to miss the corners, or bevel only the corners, or chip off the comparatively fragile corners. It should also be borne in mind that a green or unfired tile is relatively fragile and is likely to be broken or chipped while passing through the machine.

The machine that I have devised is adapted to fettle the tile after firing and comprises means adapted to accommodate itself to any departures from perfect straightness of the edges and effect a practically perfect fettling operation.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine with the fettling wheels, their supporting and driving mechanism and these associated presser wheels removed.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the driving mechanism for the tile conveying belts, looking in the direction of the arrows 3, 3, in Fig. 2.

F ig. 4 is a detail elevation of one of the two sets of fettling wheels and their supporting means.

Fig. 5 is a cross section through the machine table on the line 5, 5, Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a view, partly in section, of the adjustable blocks comprising part of the supporting means for one of the fettling wheels.

Fig. 7 is an end View of part of such supporting means. 80

On the frame a of the machine are supported three pairs of rollers, b, 6'; c, c; d, al. Around these three pairs of rollers travel respectively three endless tile-conveying belts e, f and g. Supported on the frame and underlying the upper reaches of the tile-conveying belts are three tables L, z' and j. Appropriate tension is maintained on the tileconveying belts by means of springs lc acting on tension rollers Z.

As will be hereinafter fully explained, the tiles are deposited first on belt e with their longer dimensions extending transversely of the belt, the latter being provided with transverse ribs e to keep the tiles separated. Thence the tiles are conveyed to belt f, whereon they are turned in the plane of their extension so that their longer dimensions extend longitudinally of the belt. Thence the tiles are conveyed to belt g. The tiles are 100 fettled along their short-er or end edges while traveling on belt e, and are fettled along their longer or side edges while traveling on belt g. To properly position the tiles transversely, I provide guides m, m, fn, o, o', which may be secured to brackets p adjustable on the frame a.

It is obvious that in view of the fact that the lengthwise extension of the tiles is transverse to. belt e while traveling thereon and longitudinal to belt g while traveling thereon, belt g should travel at a substantially higher speed than belt e. The intermediate belt f is preferably driven at about the speed of belt g. To secure these differential speeds, I provide the following driving means (see Fig. 3). On the shaft of pulley b is a pulley b3 driven from any suitable power source and a sprocket wheel b2, which, through a sprocket chain 11, drives the sprocket wheel c2 on the shaft of pulley c and the sprocket wheel d2 on the shaft of pulley al. The speeds imparted to conveyors e, f and g will be in inverse proportion to the diameters of the sprocket wheels from which they are driven. For example, by making sprocket wheel b2 of twice the diameter of sprocket wheels c2 and d2, belts f and g will travel at twice the speed of belt e. An idler sprocket r insures proper driving connection between the sprocket chain 7' and the sprocket c2.

To insure the proper passageof a traveling tile from the belt e to the belt f, a transverselv extending bar or roller sis positioned between the upper reaches of the two belts.

To effect the turning of a tile in the planes of their extension after leaving belt e, the following means are provided: On belt f, near the end thereof nearest to belt e, is a stop t. The stop should be positioned at one side of the'longitudinal center line of the belt. This stop may be a roller supported from a bracketln, adjustably secured to the main frame. As a tile leaves belt e and is deposited on belt f, its speed rather suddenly increases, and as it strikes the stop t, it is turned in theplane of its extension, throughout an arc which will ordinarily be somewhat less than 90 until one corner thereof strikes the roller lv, which turns freely in bearings in a bracket 'w se- P cured to the main frame. This roller, cooperating with the guide n, directs the tile in proper position to the belt g.

The fettling of the tiles is effected by means of emery discs or wheels 10 having bevelled grinding peripheries, .as shown in Fig. 4. These emery wheels, or fettling wheels, are rotated at a very high speed and are effective to bevel the edges of a fired tile. There are four of these wheels, two for operating on the end edges of the tiles being conveyed by belt e, and two for operating on the side edges of 'tiles being conveyed by belt g.

`Associated with end fettling wheel 10 is a pressure wheel 11, which is preferably of rubber. One function of the presser wheels 11 is to hold the tile and the conveying belt against the table (h or j) Provision is made for the rotation of each fettling wheel and its companion pressure wheel always on the same axis (or the axes whosel relative positions are constant).

Each fettling wheel and its companion presser wheel are carried on a common frame which is spring-pressed downward to hold the presser wheel against the face of the tile. The frame carrying each fettling wheel and its companion pressure wheel is movable vertically independently of the frame carrying the opposite fettling wheelv and its companion pressure wheel. In' case a tile is slightly bowed, or in case the faces of a tile are not perfectly flat and parallel, or in case of any variation in the thickness of opposite sides or opposite ends of a tile, or in case of variations of thickness in different tiles, the position of the fettling wheel relative to its companion pressure wheel will (by reason of their constant rotation on the same axis) always be such as to bevel off the edge of the tile to a uniform degree.

The means for supporting the wheels 10, 10 and 11, 11 of each set of wheels are shown in vdetail in Figs. 4, 6 and 7. Secured to the main frame are brackets 12 carrying a shaft 13 to which are secured two pairs of collars 14,

14. Between the two collars af each pair is a sleeve 15. By means of a pin and slot connection 16, between the sleeve- 12 and one of the collars 14, the turning movement of the sleeve on the shaft 13 is limited. The sleeve is provided with fianges to which are bolted a bracket 17 and a block 18. The bracket 17 carries a bearing for a pressure wheel 11. The block 18 has a dovetail groove in which is slidable a dovetail tongue on another block 19. Depending from block 18 is a plate having an orifice engaging a neck on a hand turnable screw-threaded rod 2O which extends into a threaded orifice in the block 19. Thereby the block 19 is transversely adjustable in 4one direction relative to block 18. The block 19 has a similar tongue and grooved connection with another block 21 and similar means are rovided a hand-turnable threaded rod 22) to adjust block 21 on block 19, the direction of the latter adjustment being at right angles to the direction of the adjustment of block 19 on block 18. Block 21 has arms 23, 23, on which turns the shaft of fettling wheel 10; the shaft also carrying, between the arms 23, a pulley 25. The frame carrying the rollers 10 and 11 drops by its own weight into the lowest position permitted by the pin and slot engagement of sleeve 15 with fixed collars 14, and a spring 24 (see Fig. 1) supplements gravity action, there being an independent spring 24 for each roller-carrying frame; so that the presser roller 11, in the course of the passage of the tile beneath it,

presses the tile and its conveying belt against the underlying table.

On the main frame of the machine is mounted an electric motor 30, having a pulley 31 bolted to a pulley 32 on a shaft 33. On shaft 33 are two pulleys (not shownLbut similar to pulley 32) belted to the two pulleys 25 driving the two fettling wheels 10 for operating on the tiles carried by belt e.' Shaft 33 also carries two other pulleys (not shown) belted to the two pulleys 25 driving the two fettling wheels l0 for operating on the tiles carried by belt g.

In the operation of the machine, the tiles to be fettled are placed on the conveying belt e, which carries them over the table L. The guides m act to properly position the'tiles transversely. As soon as a tile passes beyond the guides m, it passes under the presser rolls 11, 11 and its end edges are bevelled off by the fettling rolls 10, 10. Each presser roll yields upward more or less, dependent on the somewhat variable distance of the top face of the tile from the underlying table, and therefore automatically positions the corresponding fettling roll in the desired position relative to the corresponding edge of the tileso as to insure a uniform bevelling of each tile along the entire length of the edge as well as uniform bevelling of the edges of different tiles. One fettling roll of a pair is also positioned independently of the other fettling roll, so that if the top faces of a tile adjacent opposite edges are at different vertical distances from the underlying table, such two opposite edges will nevertheless be b'evelled equally.

As a tile passes from conveying belt e to conveying belt f, -it isy swung around, in the osition to have its other two edges bevelled and guides n. As heretofore described, it is preferred to drive the belt f at a higher speed than belt e, and it may be driven at as high a speed as belt g. As the tile is transby the joint action of stop t, roller o.

in one direction relative to said bracket, a second block adjustable on t-he first block at an tively limit the movement of the fettling wheel to operative position.

3. In a tile fettling machine, a fettling wheel for bevelling an edge of a tile, said fettling wheel having a conical grinding surface, means for positioning a .tile with an edge in operative relationship with the fettling wheel and its broad surface substantially'parallel to the axis of the fettling wheel, the fettling wheel being yieldingly movable into operative contact with the tile edge in a direction transverse to its axis of rotation, and means movable into contact with the surface of the tile adjacent the edge being fettled to positively limit the movement of the fettling wheel to operative position.

In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand at Morrisville, Pa., on this fifth day of September, 1924.

CHARLES W. CLIFFORD,

ferred to belt g, it. is positioned accurately by the guides o, o, and its longitudinal edges are bevelled by the pair of fettling rolls at that end of the machine.

While the differential speeds imparted to the several belts is of advantage and utility, the machine is workable with belts runnin at the same speed, which isthe equivalent o ra single belt, provided care is taken to position the tiles at the entering end of the machine a suficient distance apart to insure against a too rapid travel of tiles at the discharge end of the machine.

Whatl claim is:

1. In a tile fettling machine, the combination with a high speed fettling wheel for bevelling a tile edge, of a presser wheel adapted to roll over the tile whlle it is being bevelled, a swingable frame comprising a bracket supporting the presser wheel, a block adjustable 

